Respond to locally occurring disasters when activated by NYC OEM and support emergency personnel upon their arrival and request.

Assist agencies in managing spontaneous volunteers at a disaster sites.

About CERT

NYC CERT members undergo an intensive 10-week training program that raises awareness about emergencies and disasters and provides basic response skills needed for fire safety, light search and rescue, disaster medical operation and traffic control.After graduating, teams support their local communities by assisting with emergency education and response.

Emergency services personnel are the best equipped to respond to disasters.NYC CERT is trained to support the efforts of New York City’s first responders.This program works because residents know their communities best.

During non-emergency situations, NYC CERT educates their communities on emergency preparedness by working with the Ready New York program and building community disaster networks.

How to Join:

For the next NYC CERT training cycle contact OEM’s CERT staff. Find out how to get involved.Downloada copy of the brochure, Contact the OEM CERT coordinatoror call the hotline at 718-422-8585 to get in contact with your local team.

OEM's Role

Since 2003, the number of active NYC CERTs managed by NYC OEM has grown from 10 to over 50.These teams are able to provide emergency preparedness education and response to cover all 59 community boards in the five boroughs.

The NYC CERT program is managed by the External Affairs Division of OEM, overseen by the Deputy Commissioner of External Affairs.NYCOEM manages all NYC CERT activities, including recruitment training, deployment, and planned events.

Program Partners

Along with OEM, the following partners have assisted in leading and training NYC CERT's

Fire Department (FDNY)

The FDNY facilitates the 10 week training program by offering seasoned FDNY and EMS personnel. They also provide experienced topic instructors for FDNY and EMS classroom based and hands-on moduels. In addtion, the FDNY are also major contributors to the NYC CERT curriculum.

Police Department(NYPD)

The NYPD provides experienced police personnel from NYPD and the Auxiliary Police Unit to train police-related modules, such as Terrorism Awareness and Police Science. In addition, the NYPD are also contributors to the NYC CERT curriculum.